At the invitation of the HARTING Technology Group, Christa Thoben, North Rhine Westphalia’s Minister for Trade, Industry and Energy, visited the company’s headquarters in Espelkamp on Wednesday, July 12, 2006.

At the invitation of the HARTING Technology Group, Christa Thoben, North Rhine Westphalia’s Minister for Trade, Industry and Energy, visited the company’s headquarters in Espelkamp on Wednesday, July 12, 2006. At the town’s largest employer, entrepreneur Margrit Harting and directors Dr. Michael Pütz and Dr. Frank Schillinger informed the minister on the factors behind the success of this globally active, family owned and managed company group. Espelkamp’s Mayor Heinrich Vieker underlined HARTING’s exceptional importance for the town. ”HARTING has made special contributions to the development of Espelkamp,” explained the Mayor.During her introduction to the company and her tour of the five plants, Christa Thoben was clearly impressed by the outstanding and sustained significance of HARTING’s contributions to the location’s development. Apart from the company’s genuine pioneering work in terms of its investment decisions for the plants, the owners’ societal commitment is also exemplary.Training and further training topics were also on the agenda. Entrepreneur Margrit Harting explained that company-trained specialists rank as one of the keys to success. “As a global technology group we need employees who have wide ranging language, intercultural and personal skills, in addition to excellent specialist and technical knowledge,” said Harting. Besides inhouse training, a large percentage of staff requirements is covered by collaboration with universities and technical colleges. The company also positions itself as an attractive employer, as Margrit Harting continued, who is convinced that a motivated core workforce is the best recruiting advertising. Dr. Michael Pütz outlined to the Minister the new dual Bachelor of Engineering course in Mechatronics. Starting August 2006, the company will be offering three students the opportunity to take this course. Alongside work experience at HARTING in Espelkamp and Minden, the students will cover the theoretical technical aspects at Espelkamp’s new educational institute, the Private Fachhochschule für Wirtschaft und Technik Vechta/Diepholz/Oldenburg (Private College for Business and Technology). The new institute was set up with the aim of strengthening the Minden-Lübbecke and Herford economic region. HARTING is also involved in the “Dual Study in Mühlenkreis” project, which is being launched at the Gründer- und Anwenderzentrum (GAZ, Founders’ and Users’ Center) in Espelkamp.In concluding, Christa Thoben stated: “The last highlight before my vacation was to become more familiar with this family owned and managed company. In such enterprises I see impressive examples in North Rhine Westphalia of entrepreneurs looking far beyond the short-term with regard to their location policies.”